Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4: Resolution 4918 Approving a Multiple-Unit Property Tax Exemption for Residential Property Located at Patterson Street (2) ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Action: Resolution 4918 Approving a Multiple-Unit Property Tax Exemption for Residential Property Located at 1360 and 1372 Patterson Street, Eugene, Oregon (Robert V. Newland, Applicant) Meeting Date: October 8, 2007 Agenda Item Number: 4 Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Richie Weinman www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5533 ISSUE STATEMENT City Council is asked to approve a resolution granting a Multi-Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE) for Patterson Place at 1360 and 1372 Patterson Street in Eugene. BACKGROUND The MUPTE program was created to encourage new housing in the core area. The council has a 30-year history of supporting tax exemptions under this program, approving a total of 15 requests (Attachment C). Of these, the tax exemption has expired on eleven of the developments. Ten are now taxed and one, Lawrence Court, changed hands and is operated as public-purpose, tax-exempt, low-income housing. In April 2004, the council amended the MUPTE program regulations and boundaries. The most significant change to the regulations was to include more stringent quality standards for developments being considered for the exemption. Patterson Place is proposed to be built at 1360 and 1372 Patterson Street, a property which is zoned R-3 or high th density residential. It is located on the west side of Patterson, one-quarter block south of 13Avenue. There are currently two deteriorated single-family dwellings on the property and one garage. Both homes are over 50 years old and neither have historical value. The property owner, Bob Newland, has stated his intention is to upgrade the quality of this parcel and the neighborhood by constructing 14 new, high-quality housing units. This proposal meets both state and local development goals and is recommended for approval. Citizen Comments The applicant met with the West University Neighbors on two occasions. On August 2, 2007, he reviewed the project plans in detail and listened to their concerns. The West University Neighbors subsequently wrote a letter indicating their unanimous support for this MUPTE application. They noted that Mr. Newland had acknowledged the concerns of the neighborhood in his approach to parking, trees, open space, design, location and scale. A display ad was placed in the Register-Guard, seeking citizen comments. Over a 30-day period, no additional comments were received. Design Features This application proposes housing that increases density in the core area using higher grade materials, as F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc encouraged under the MUPTE guidelines. The applicant’s proposed housing involves three buildings and features open courtyards, a secure bicycle parking room and vehicle parking under the housing units. The development is being designed and built by the local firm of Anslow & Degeneault – a company with significant experience with sustainable/green building practices. The project developer demonstrates a serious commitment to sustainable practices and quality design. The development will feature a variety of elements including the use of landscaped courtyards (featuring native species), high efficiency-low emissive windows, traditional attic roof construction, and the use of products that are produced from sustainable practices. This includes a commitment to use, when feasible, locally produced products including: parallam, glulam, oriented stand board, as well as structural lumber and studs. Impact and Need for Tax Exemptions to Encourage Housing The City and other local taxing districts forgo some revenue when a development is exempt from taxes. The land itself continues to be taxed during the exemption period. This project proposes new construction on a property that has been underdeveloped based on the zoning. The improvements will bring increased revenue, after ten years, beyond what is currently being collected. The property is currently taxed at $2,902 per year. Of this, $651, for the land, will continue to be collected. The MUPTE exemption accounts for an estimated $34,821 per year. Timing On October 22, the council will review the MUPTE program. This applicant initiated his process in the spring and formally applied in August. He has been very concerned about the timing for financing and leasing reasons. This agenda date was scheduled prior to the council request for a work session regarding MUPTE. There is a legal timing requirement to provide the council with the report and recommendation within 90 days of application. The council must act in 180 days or the application is considered approved. This October 8 meeting falls inside the first 90 days. RELATED CITY POLICIES MUPTE is enabled by state statute and the City of Eugene has participated in the program since 1978. Encouraging housing in the core area and in West University is consistent with numerous adopted planning and policy documents. Examples include: Growth Management Policies Policy 1 Support the existing Eugene Urban Growth Boundary by taking actions to increase density and use on existing vacant land and under-used land within the boundary more efficiently. Policy 2 Encourage in-fill, mixed-use, redevelopment, and higher density development. Policy 3 Encourage a mix of businesses and residential uses downtown using incentives and zoning. West University Refinement Plan V.9 The City will encourage residential uses in all parts of the plan area. V.11 The City and the neighborhood shall study ways to encourage a variety or mix of structure types providing both owner and rental opportunities and appealing to a diverse population. F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc COUNCIL OPTIONS 1. The council may approve the exemption. 2. The council may postpone action. The council can postpone action until after the council work session on October 22 or to request additional information. 3. The council may deny the exemption. CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION The City Manager recommends Option 2. SUGGESTED MOTION Move to consider this resolution on November 13, 2007, following the council discussion on MUPTE on October 22, 2007. ATTACHMENTS A. Resolution approving a property tax exemption for Coho Townhouses B. Report from the Planning and Development Director C. History of granted multi unit tax exemptions in Eugene D. Photo of the property currently E. Images of proposed development F. Comment letters FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Richie Weinman Telephone: 682-5533 Staff E-Mail: Richie.d.weinman@ci.eugene.or.us F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc ATTACHMENT A RESOLUTION NO. _____ A RESOLUTION APPROVING A MULTIPLE-UNIT PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION FOR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 1360 AND 1372 PATTERSON STREET, EUGENE, OREGON (ROBERT V. NEWLAND, APPLICANT). The City Council of the City of Eugene finds that: A. Robert V. Newland is the owner of real property located at 1360 and 1372 Patterson Street, Eugene, Oregon, more particularly described on the attached Exhibit A and has submitted an application pursuant to the City’s Multiple-Unit Property Tax Exemption Program (Sections 2.945 and 2.947 of the Eugene Code, 1971), with respect to residential units to be constructed on the property. B. A display ad soliciting recommendations or comments from the public was published in the Register- Guard on August 19, 2007, and advised that written comments would be accepted for a period of 30 days from the date of publication. Recommendations or comments were also solicited from the Planning Commission, and other interested City departments, agencies, and neighborhood groups. No comments were received. C. The Report and Recommendation attached as Exhibit B, which was prepared by the Director of the Planning and Development Department (“the Director”) as designee of the City Manager, recommends that the application be approved and the exemption granted. In making the recommendation, the Director found that the applicant submitted all materials, documents and fees required by the application and the City as set forth in Section 2.945 of the Eugene Code, 1971, and is in compliance with the policies set forth in the Standards and Guidelines adopted by Administrative Order No. 53-04-03-F. D. The project consists of the development of two two-bedroom units, six three-bedroom units, four four- bedroom units, and two five-bedroom units, which are not designed for, nor will be used as, transient accommodations. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EUGENE, a Municipal Corporation of the State of Oregon, as follows: Section 1. Based upon the above findings which are adopted, and the City Council’s review of the Report and Recommendation of the Director of the Planning and Development Department attached as Exhibit B, the City Council approves the application of Robert V. Newland for an ad valorem property tax exemption under the City’s Multiple-Unit Property Tax Exemption Program for the residential units to be constructed at 1360 and 1372 Patterson Street, Eugene, Oregon, and more particularly described on the attached Exhibit A, subject to the following conditions: F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc 1. The project shall consist of two two-bedroom units, six three-bedroom units, four four-bedroom units, and two five-bedroom units, which are not designed for, nor will be used as, transient accommodations. 2. The project shall be completed on or before January 1, 2012. 3. The project shall include those public benefit design elements in the Standards and Guidelines as described in Section 2.2 of the Report and Recommendation attached as Exhibit B. 4. The project shall be in conformance with all local plans and planning regulations, including special or district-wide plans developed and adopted pursuant to ORS Chapters 195, 196, 197, 215 and 227. Section 2. The residential units to be constructed upon the property described in Section 1 above are declared exempt from local ad valorem property taxation beginning July 1 of the year following certification of completion and continuing for a continuous period of ten years unless earlier terminated in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.947 of the Eugene Code, 1971. Section 3. The City Manager, or the Manager’s designee, is requested to forward a copy of this Resolution to the applicants, and to the other affected taxing districts, within ten days, and to cause a copy of this Resolution to be filed with the Lane County Assessor on or before April 1, 2008. Section 4. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption. The foregoing Resolution adopted and effective the ____ day of _____________, 2007. ___________________________________ City Recorder F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc ATTACHMENT B REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION of the Director of the Planning & Development Department Robert V. Newland Multiple-Unit Property Tax Exemption The Director of the Planning & Development Department of the City of Eugene finds that: 1. Robert V. Newland is the owner of real property located at 1360 and 1372 Patterson Street, Eugene, Oregon, more particularly described on the attached Exhibit A and has submitted an application pursuant to the City’s Multiple-Unit Property Tax Exemption Program (Sections 2.945 and 2.947 of the Eugene Code, 1971), with respect to residential units to be constructed on the property. 2. I have reviewed the application and specifically find that the project to be constructed will result in an eligible structure for the property tax exemption as defined in the Standards and Guidelines, will be located within the downtown core area, the construction will be completed on or before January 1, 2012, and: 2.1 The applicant has submitted all materials, documents and fees required by the City; 2.2 Design elements that benefit the general public have been included in the project, which consist of: 2.2.1 Sustainability features. Sustainability features include: •Location is ideal for commuting by walking or bicycling to the University, Sacred Heart and to the commercial areas within a four block radius. The LTD Breeze bus stop is ½ block away and the EmX bus stop is two blocks away from the property eliminating the need to drive to most destinations. •Higher density design with entries opening onto landscaped areas increases green-space for occupants. •Most of the maneuvering and parking area of the proposed development will be under living units which will result in a reduction of the “heat island” effect created by a concrete and asphalt parking lot with autos exposed to direct heating by the sun. •Fluorescent lights will be used in the parking area which will be controlled by a time clock and occupancy sensors. Exterior lights in common areas will be photocell controlled to reduce energy use and enhance safety. •Utilities will be metered to each unit to encourage individual conservation. •High efficiency, low emissive coated windows in vinyl frames will be used to provide minimum heat transfer and require no recurrent painting. •Traditional attic roof construction allows gravity ventilation of heat build-up and hip roof eaves shade south and west windows from midday sun, greatly reducing the need for additional cooling. Glazing is designed to provide excellent day lighting; south and west windows will provide solar insulation in winter months (summer high angle of incidence results in reduced heat gain due to reflective nature of coating). F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc •Construction waste will be minimized by the designer’s familiarity with standard sizes and construction systems and approach to value engineering including routine recycling many materials generated in the construction process. •Recycling area for tenants will be conveniently located in a well lit, weather protected area. •Many of the construction materials will be engineered products produced from sustainable forestry practices including the use of smaller diameter non-old growth trees and include products manufactured in the local area resulting in less transportation of materials from distant sources. •Indoor air quality enhancement by use of cabinets, doors and interior trim pre- finished offsite, as well as more operable window areas than required by code. All exhaust fans will be provided with timers which will foster use of fans even when the units are unoccupied, thus reducing moisture problems. •Most units will have washers and dryers, reducing the need to transport laundry. •The project site is underutilized (currently having two dwellings each with six single occupant units which are approaching the end of their useable lifetime) and will be replaced using building methods and materials that are more environmentally sustainable. •Landscaping will be incorporated on all sides using plant materials chosen for low water use and low maintenance as well as aesthetic considerations. Many native species of plants will be used. 2.2.2 Responsiveness to adjacent historic structures. There are no adjacent historical structures. The building currently on the site is over 50 years old, but according to City of Eugene Senior Planner Ken Guzowski, is not a historic structure. 2.2.3 Use of higher quality materials that contribute to longevity. High quality 30-year plus rated roof shingles will be used. Exterior siding will be Hardi brand cementinous siding which performs well, is fire resistant and has a long service life. Vinyl windows will be used and are efficient and require minimum maintenance. Vehicle parking will be concrete instead of asphalt, reducing reliance on petroleum products. The building is anticipated to have at least a 100 year service life. 2.2.4 Prominent entry facing the public street. The building will not incorporate a single prominent entry. Instead, all units will have private entrances at grade level. Of the 14 front doors, four face Patterson Street directly. Special attention has been paid to architectural presentation to Patterson street. 2.2.5 Number of units by which minimum density is exceeded or which incorporate three or more bedrooms to encourage families. Patterson Place will have 14 units on a site of 12,000 square feet (.27 acres). This exceeds minimum density for the zone by approximately eight units. Twelve of the units have three or more bedrooms making them more suitable for family use than the current single occupancy units. 2.2.6 Number of available ADA accessible units. There are no ADA accessible units. 2.2.7 Responsiveness to neighborhood character and safety in respect to height, mass, architectural detail, landscaping and open space. Composition has been arranged to achieve the density goals F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc while limiting scale, particularly to Patterson Street and approaching pedestrians. Setbacks have been exceeded and the roofs hipped. Exterior materials, hips, gables, entry porches, covered balconies, residential style doors and windows provide resonance with the neighborhood’s residential character. As the site across the alley is zoned C2, Patterson Place serves as a transitional building responding to the greater density, mass and height in that zone. Parking spaces will be in a well lit parking area. All units have private entry door at grade level in well lit, highly visible locations, with two directions of approach. No entries face the alley. The entire building is installed with fire sprinklers. Bicycle storage is in locked rooms. The density achieved is 51 units per acre and, therefore, exceeds the incentive threshold of section 9.550(9) of the Eugene Code, allowing exemption from the provision of open space on the site, however the West University Park will provide ample open space nearby for tenants. 2.2.8 Number of units designed for home ownership. Patterson Place is not designed for individual homeownership. All units are rentals. 2.2.9 Solicitation of comments from relevant neighborhood associations. The West University Neighborhood Association has gone on record as supporting the Patterson Place project, assuming that the design features are retained, but commented that they would like to see more than 19 parking spaces for a 48-bedroom structure. 2.3 The project will be monitored through the City’s regular processes with respect to planning, permit and building and safety requirements to insure compliance with all local regulations; 2.4 Currently on the site are two dwellings, each with single occupant units, and one garage; and 2.5 The owner has stated in the application and provided evidence that the project would not be feasible with the quantity and quality of sustainability features planned without the tax exemption. 3. A display ad soliciting recommendations or comments from the public regarding this project was published in the Register-Guard on August 19, 2007. The period for comment expired on September 18, 2007. No comments were received. Therefore, based upon the above findings, the project is in conformance with all applicable local plans and provisions of the Eugene Code, 1971, planning regulations, the Metropolitan Area General Plan, and the criteria set forth in the City’s adopted Standards and Guidelines for Multiple-Unit Housing Property Tax Exemption, and I recommend that the application be approved. Dated this _____ day of _________________________, 2007. _________________________________ Director, Planning & Development Department, City of Eugene F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc ATTACHMENT C MULTI -UNIT HOUSING PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION PROGRAM HISTORY NAMEADDRESSNUMBER OF UNITSAPPROVED Broadway Center Washington and Broadway 107 units 1978 12 studio; 71 One-Bedroom; 24 Two-Bedroom; 12 Studio Lawrence Court 8th and Lawrence 50 One-Bedroom 1980 (now all low-income) (approx) Washington Abbey 10th and Washington 48 units 1984 9 One-Bedroom/plus loft; Five Two-Bedroom; 34 One-Bedroom Olive Terrace 15th Ave. & Olive St. 28 units 1989 4 Studio; 12 One-Bedroom Units; 12 Two- Bedroom Units Joseph Shapitka 445 W. 10th Ave. 8 Two-Bedroom Units. 1990 Burnell Ambrose 17 & 35 Lawrence St. 7 One-Bedroom Units. 1995 Nozama Apartments 525 & 541 E. 19th Ave. 14 units 1995 12 Two-Bedroom Units; 2 Four-Bedroom Units. Hilyard House 701 & 725 E. 14th Ave. 1357 53 units 1995 & 1377 Hilyard 44 Two-Bedroom Units; 9 One-Bedroom Units. Art Carmichael Paradice Apts 640 E. 15th Avenue 30 units 1996 Phil Klingensmith/ 6 Studio; 8 One-Bedroom Units; Don McRae 16 Two-Bedroom Units. High Street Terrace 10th Ave. & High St. 58 units 1996 20 Studio; 26 One-Bedroom Units; 12 Two- Bedroom Units Broadway Place Broadway and Charnelton 170 units 1996 74 Studio, 72 One-Bedroom, 24 Two Bedroom The Tate 1375 Olive 47 units – condominiums 2004 14 one-bedroom, 27 two-bedroom, 6 three- bedroom Patterson House 979 Patterson 27 units 2004 3 studio, 12 0ne-bedroom, 12 two-bedroom th Parkside Place 633 E. 14 Alleyway 21 units 2006 1 one-bedroom, 2 two-bedroom, 5 three- bedroom, 7 four-bedroom, 6 five-bedroom 2007 th Coho Townhouses 631 E. 14 Ave. 9 four-bedroom units Under construction F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc PENDING REQUESTS NAME ADDRESS NUMBER OF STATUS COUNCIL UNITS ACTION Patterson Place 1360,1372 14 rental Submitted Aug 13 October 8, 2007 - Robert V. Newland Patterson Comment period ends Sept 19, 2007 Steelhead Townhouses 534,535 E. 9 rental Submitted Aug 28 TBD - Dan Neal 14th Comment period ends October 1 Eugene Downtown 990 Lincoln 24 ownership Submitted Aug 20 TBD Cohousing 7 rental (tentative) Comment period - Martin Henner ends October 1 ththth 16 and Hilyard 693 E. 16 10 rental Submitted Aug 7TBD Apartments Advertised Sept 16 -David S. Corey Comment period ends October 15 Additional Downtown Housing Tax Exemptions (not MUPTE) Lincoln School 58 units Historic Exemption (15 years) Tiffany Building 28 units Historic Exemption (15 years) Aurora Building 54 units Low-income Exemption (20 years) th WestTown on 8 (under construction) 102 units Low-Income Exemption (20 years) Updated: September 24, 2007 F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc ATTACHMENT D F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc ATTACHMENT E F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc ATTACHMENT F F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc F:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M071008\S0710084.doc